Using sophisticated ‘Jurassic Park’-style techniques, Carlsberg Research Laboratory has rebrewed what it calls the "world’s very first quality lager."

It is brewed with the original pure yeast which was developed at the Carlsberg Lab. The yeast has surprisingly survived 133 years in a beer bottle in the brewery’s old cellars, and leading brewing experts have now managed to rebrew what is considered the "father of most modern day lager beers."

"Last year, CP+B Scandinavia launched a line of men’s grooming products made from Carlsberg beer. Now, in honor of Carlsberg Research Laboratory’s 140th anniversary, we’ve used ‘Jurassic Park’-style techniques to rebrew the Father of Quality Lagers," it said in a statement.

Brewing beer used to be an unpredictable process resulting in undrinkable beer due to the phenomenon called ‘beer sickness’. As beer sickness was a widespread problem back then, Carlsberg gave the pure yeast, aptly named ‘Saccharomyces Carlsbergensis’, away for free to other brewers. Today, most lager beers in the world originate from that pure yeast discovery, including major international brands.

“Without it, we wouldn’t have the type of beer that is now 90 percent of the world’s market”, says Britain’s leading Beer Historian Martyn Cornell.

Recently, scientists at Carlsberg Laboratory made an extraordinary discovery in the old cellars of Carlsberg in Copenhagen, Denmark. They found one of the very first Carlsberg beers brewed with the original pure yeast from 1883. After one year of intense research, they were able to extract living yeast cells from the bottle.

To celebrate the 140th anniversary of the Carlsberg Research Laboratory, leading scientists and brewers at the Laboratory have now rebrewed the world’s first quality lager in the most authentic manner, using the original pure yeast and the exact same recipe, ingredients and brewing techniques as in 1883. The results is a testament to the historical discoveries at the Research Lab as well as the world leading quality capabilities of the modern day Carlsberg Laboratory.

Check out the process here:

https://youtu.be/KyYI6eLs2jQ

Check out the new bottle:

(Gallery available on web)

"For the first time in more than a hundred years, men and women will taste a beer, that not only is the forefather to most lager beers today, but that also displays some of the unique capabilities at the Carlsberg Research Laboratories," the statement read. Steve Hindy, chairman and co-founder of Brooklyn Brewery, and former Chairman of American Brewers Association, said: "Being able to go into the archive at Carlsberg and recreate that original beer is very exciting, and I can’t wait to taste it.”

Royal Philips has launched a state-of-the-art Philips APAC Center in Singapore to address healthcare needs by fostering collaboration and co-creation at its world-class facilities.

Housed in Toa Payoh, the new 38,000-square-meter office building brings together Philips’ innovation and design expertise and business-creation capabilities to better serve the company’s business growth and address healthcare needs in the ASEAN and Pacific region.

The Opening Ceremony was attended by guests of honor, S. Iswaran, Minister of Trade and Industry (Industry), and H.E. Jacques Werner, Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Singapore.

The new office building will enable the health technology company to deliver innovative solutions across the region Singapore.

“Today, the world faces significant healthcare challenges with an aging population, the rise of chronic diseases and global resource constraints that limit the access to quality healthcare,” Ronald de Jong, executive vice president & chief market leader, Royal Philips, said.

"I am convinced that these can be addressed through new and more highly integrated care delivery models enabled by health technologies and new business models. It is vital that we innovate with our partners in a meaningful and locally relevant way.”

De Jong added: “This is also a significant event for us at Philips as we celebrate our 125th anniversary this year globally."

Globally, and in Asia, people are increasingly looking for ways to be healthy, to live well and to care for themselves and their families at home. As consumers look for ways to take control of their own health, their needs and those of healthcare professionals are increasingly becoming intertwined. To address these needs, collaborations and partnerships between healthcare professionals and corporate enterprises are imperative to delivering innovative solutions across the health continuum. Together we can empower people to live healthier lives, enable people to better manage their own health, ensure patients receive accurate diagnosis for more effective treatment, and support patients’ recovery and chronic care at home, said Royal Phillips.

“Our new Philips APAC Center – that will house our APAC headquarters and innovation activities – serves as a gateway to the region. Singapore, with its strong pool of skilled talent, is critical to us as we are increasing our focus into health technology. Our business is going through a transformation – from a supplier of individual medical and consumer products to a provider of integrated health technology solutions and services. This means that our facilities and ways of working need to transform as well,” said Fabian Wong, Chief Executive Officer, Philips ASEAN Pacific.

The Learning Center is where healthcare technicians and practitioners can enrich their knowledge and have first-hand experience handling and operating Philips medical equipment to make a difference in patients’ lives every day.

In the coming months, the Consumer Care center will open to the public. This center comes equipped with a user-friendly digital platform where visitors can conveniently access Philips product information, ratings, and reviews in real-time. Purchases can also be made in the center through the online store.

In addition, the building is a showcase equipped with the company’s own industry-leading LED lighting systems. Beyond sustainable features like energy-savings1 and lowered carbon footprint, connected lighting with Philips PoE (Power-over-Ethernet) is built into areas where higher interaction levels are expected.

The Philips APAC Center was built and designed with Workplace Innovation (WPI) in mind, a new way of working that encourages collaboration. With the aim to reduce carbon footprint, the new building now houses employees who used to occupy four buildings, with facilities that foster an activity-based collaborative work culture – a manifestation of Philips’ business goals and role as the regional headquarters.

While investments in programmatic media buuying is on the rise, marketers surveyed by Forrester highlight key challenges they face in this space.

Most important among them are a lack of time to understand and implement programmatic, lack of programmatic skills, the complexity of the technical implementation and, lastly, not having an agency partner that can help them use programmatic.

According to Rahul Vasudev, managing director, Asia Pacific, MediaMath, “a large obstacle is internal education, so it is imperative that marketers invest in formal programmatic education for themselves to enable themselves to reap the benefits that successful programmatic practices deliver.”

The study, commissioned by MediaMath, found that 41% of senior marketing professionals in Asia Pacific (APAC) have already adopted programmatic buying into their media buying processes, with Australia (48%), Japan (46%) and Singapore (46%) leading as the most mature markets in the region.

Of these, 82% are either satisfied or highly satisfied with their investment in programmatic technology, indicating that marketers are benefiting and getting returns from their programmatic adoption. Furthermore, an exceedingly positive 96% of these adopters plan to continue investing in programmatic technology in the next 24 months.

While several markets in the APAC region have been seen as laggards in terms of marketing technology adoption, it remains a high growth region, with a large number of businesses yet to adopt or integrate programmatic advertising into their marketing mix.

To gauge the appetite and adoption levels for programmatic in APAC, Forrester surveyed 300 senior marketing decision-makers in Australia, Japan, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. Survey respondents were all from mostly business-to-consumer (B2C) companies with annual revenues in excess of US$25 million.

Through the survey, APAC marketers cited better contextual targeting, faster and more efficient execution and real-time optimisation as the most important benefits in considering programmatic in their practice.

With global programmatic ad spend expected to reach US$37 billion by 2019, APAC is poised to play a significant role in this growth, with the study finding that 82% of adopters are either satisfied or highly satisfied with their investment in programmatic technology, indicating that marketers are benefiting and getting returns from their programmatic adoption.

Furthermore, an exceedingly positive 96% of these adopters plan to continue investing in programmatic technology in the next 24 months.

• Read Also: Why mobile and programmatic ad buying will drive growth in 2016
• The current state of programmatic and a look into its future
• Transparency will improve optimisation in programmatic media buying
• Private marketplaces the next growth engine of the programmatic family

Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD Hong Kong) has appointed Sinclair Communications as agency partner to develop and lead an Integrated Public Relations programme in Asia. Sinclair Communications’ mandate is to drive awareness of SCAD’S academic excellence, creative degrees and art and design activities by connecting the school with prospective students and creative circles in the region.

SCAD is internationally renowned as the university for creative careers. Graduates of SCAD are on the path to becoming leading professionals in art and design. Offering more degree programs and specializations than any other art and design university, SCAD is uniquely qualified to prepare talented students for professional, creative careers.

SCAD is a private, nonprofit, accredited institution conferring bachelor's and master's degrees at distinctive locations and online to prepare talented students for professional careers. SCAD offers more than 100 academic degree programs in 42 subjects across its locations in Savannah and Atlanta, Georgia; in Hong Kong; in Lacoste, France; and online through SCAD eLearning.

SCAD Hong Kong opened in 2010 at the former North Kowloon Magistracy in Sham Shui Po. It is acknowledged as a leading university for creatives in the region. In Hong Kong, where creative opportunities abound, students are encouraged and supported to expand their skills through partnership projects with the local creative community.

Students who begin at any SCAD location may choose to enrich their educational experience and enhance their career preparation by attending other SCAD locations during their course of study.

Managing Director of Sinclair Communications, Kiri Sinclair, said: “Sinclair Communications are PR experts in the Art & Design arena and are passionate about championing Hong Kong’s thriving hub of creative talent. We are thrilled to be working with a world leading education institution with a reputation for nurturing the region’s very best talent into the future greats of the creative industry.”

“With the creative industries playing an increasingly important role in Hong Kong’s economy, and identified as a strong driving force for the territory’s future development, graduates from SCAD are readying themselves for a very bright future. Sharing this message with the parents of creatively minded students in Asia is critical to changing the mind-set towards study in these fields,” Kiri said.

FOX Sports has announced the acquisition of the broadcast rights to the US Open Tennis Championships, which adds to the other three tennis grand slam tournaments – Australian Open, Roland Garros and Wimbledon – already exclusively broadcast across Asia on FOX Sports.

With this latest acquisition, FOX Sports’ extensive portfolio of key international, regional and local rights has been further strengthened, to consolidate its position as Asia’s Number 1 regional sports broadcaster.

“This is a great win for FOX Sports and we are pleased that our Affiliate and broadcast partners, and tennis fans will be able to experience comprehensive coverage of the US Open, with FOX Sports’ complete suite of linear and digital/OTT platforms, said Rohit D’Silva, Executive Vice-President, Commercial & Sports, FOX Networks Group (Asia Pacific & Middle East).

“The USTA is thrilled to partner with FOX Sports in Asia and looks forward to bringing premier coverage that will showcase the US Open, the highest-attended annual sporting event in the world -- to fans throughout the region beginning next year”, said Lew Sherr, USTA Chief Revenue Officer.

The five-year deal, which commences in 2017, covers linear (Pay and Terrestrial), OTT and digital platforms in Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Korea, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

In addition to the LIVE broadcast on linear channels, tennis fans will also be able to watch free short-form clips, news updates and highlights on the FOX Sports Play app and ‪foxsportsasia.com which will enable them to enjoy the coverage of the US Open like never before.

FOX Sports will look towards increasing the number of fans enjoying the US Open, as they have done with the year-on-year viewership increases for Roland Garros and Wimbledon, with a 29% and 14% increase respectively for the most recent editions of both tournaments. Tennis fans can expect complete coverage of the US Open, in multiple languages, along with reports, updates, behind-the-scenes, highlights from the US Open’s Arthur Ashe stadium, and analysis by tennis pundits in the FOX Sports studio.

中国电召车应用程序滴滴出行与香港7-Eleven便利店宣布联合推出首个促销赠品优惠。

该香港领先电召车应用程序与香港最大的连锁便利店这次的合作，旨在提升香港应用程序行业的发展，让人们体验到科技所带来的便利。

从5月18日至6月7日，快的打车的新用户可以下载滴滴的快的打車应用程序，并注册成为新用户，在首次乘车时赚取四张22元的粉丝电子现金券（总金额88元）。

「快的打車」现有用户也可以通过推荐三位好友下载并注册成为新用户来赢取四张22元的粉丝电子现金券（总金额88元）。

7-Eleven便利店香港及澳门销售和营销总监Rose Yeung说：「我们很高兴能与滴滴出行合作，为我们的香港客户带来全新的体验。7-Eleven致力将创新产品和服务带进本地市场，而这次合作正好呼应了我们的创新文化──通过两个移动应用程序让我们的共同客户保持联系，并在7-Eleven便利店享用粉丝电子现金券。这是结合线上和线下的购物体验，我相信会给我们的消费者带来全新的品牌体验。」

该活动将运用各种渠道，包括报纸印刷广告、7-Eleven便利店的Facebook和LINE等数字门户，以及7-Fans和快的打車应用程序的内置广告。

上周，苹果向滴滴出行注资十亿元，苹果首席执行官蒂姆•库克（Tim Cook）表示，此举将帮助该公司更好地了解中国这个关键市场。

Hilton Worldwide and DoubleTree by Hilton have announced the opening of DoubleTree by Hilton Suzhou, which marks the debut of the DoubleTree by Hilton brand in Suzhou City.

DoubleTree by Hilton Suzhou is owned by Suzhou Broadcasting System and managed by Hilton Worldwide.

Located in the Central Business District of the China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park, the new hotel is designed by renowned architect Hiroshi Miyakawa, who also designed the Kansai International Airport and Beijing TV Center.

DoubleTree by Hilton Suzhou features 357 guest rooms and 181 one, two, and three-bedroom suites, with a variety of dining and entertainment options.

Bruce McKenzie, senior vice president of operations, Greater China & Mongolia, Hilton Worldwide, said the opening of DoubleTree by Hilton Suzhou is a great addition that reinforces Hilton Worldwide's presence in the strategically important economic hub of eastern China.

Dianna Vaughan, senior vice president and global head, DoubleTree by Hilton and Curio - A Collection by Hilton, added: "The DoubleTree by Hilton brand has inspired a strong following among travelers the world over. We are pleased to extend our presence in China to Suzhou City."

The hotel group now has 71 hotels in the country, and continues to grow over 200 hotels in the future.

Publicis Singapore has tapped on wearable technology in an effort to turbo-charge the Audi Sport Driving Experience. Over 1,000 drivers will have their heart rates and skin moisture levels tracked real-time through the Microsoft Band 2 device as they make their way through a specially re-created race track in the latest Audi Sport models.

Participants will get personalised one-on-one coaching from experienced Audi driving instructors as they try their hands on the latest Audi technologies.

The team at Publicis Singapore further created an emotion dashboard where drivers are able to witness the adrenaline rush as they get behind the wheels of the latest Audi R8 V10 plus and other models in the Audi Sport series.

Read Also: Audi sets hearts racing with daring new campaign for R8

“Wearable technology represents the next frontier in marketing innovation by engaging the user in the most direct way possible. While brands have been talking about the thrill and joy of user experience for a long time, wearable technology offers a real-time quantitative tool to measure the experience,” Frances Kong, general manager at Publicis Singapore, said.

“We believe the user experience is enriched through the use of a 360-degree approach aided by the latest in digital technology.”

The team has also engaged local media personalities Shaun Chen, Vernon A and Justin Ang of The Muttons, Tay Ping Hui and Audi brand ambassador Yasminne Cheng in a test drive of the course. Their first-hand user experience was uploaded onto social media channels for further amplification.

The Audi Sport Driving Experience is part of a wider initiative by Audi and Publicis Singapore to enhance user experience through digital technology. The brand and agency co-developed a mobile app and headset as part of its SG50-commemoration brand campaign in 2015. The campaign, A Drive Back in Time, brought over 6,000 Singaporeans on a nostalgic virtual tour of Singapore in 1965 while being driven in an Audi A6.

Marriott International and Hurun Research Institute has signed an exclusive multi-year partnership to release an in-depth report on The Chinese Luxury Traveler.

This multi-year partnership between Marriott International and Hurun Research Institute will furnish a deeper understanding of behavioral patterns of high net worth Mainland Chinese individuals on how they travel.

Peggy Fang Roe, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Asia Pacific, at Marriott International, said the hotel group has always invested heavily in understanding the attitudes and behaviors of our target customer.

"Our partnership with Hurun enables us to gain deeper insights and continue to evolve the luxury experience for our customers,” added she.

The full report will be released on 30 May 2016 during the annual International Luxury Travel Market (ILTM) Asia in Shanghai, China.

凯络中国宣布整合品牌内容、社交媒体和电视媒体赞助专才团队，重新打造EN+（英加娱乐）。

这一新的团队将专注于发展基于洞察的内容及社交媒体方案。利用受众和社交数据，深入洞察跨平台及跨屏内容消费行为，同时将品牌内容和商业目标相关联。

EN+由在整合传播策划及媒介策略领域拥有丰富经验的Richard Frampton领导。Frampton在凯络英国、新加坡和中国等地工作超过十年。

Frampton表示：「有越来越多的客户看到了在传统、数字及社交媒体环境中，内容在增强消费者互动以及促进销售上的巨大潜力。」

「凭借凯络对消费者行为洞察的无可比拟的优势，EN+将致力于打造能充分发挥内容营销潜力的平台。」

目前凯络的EN+团队拥有20多位专才，专注于三个专业领域：社交媒体、品牌内容和电视媒体赞助。

万豪国际集团与胡润研究院宣布签署了一项独家的合作协议，将携手发布中国豪华旅客了的深入报告。

此次合作将深入了解中国内地高净值收入人士的个人旅行行为模式。

万豪国际亚太区首席销售和营销官Peggy Fang Roe表示，万豪一直致力于了解目标客户的态度和行为洞悉。

她补充说：「我们与胡润的合作伙伴关系使我们能够获得更深刻的见解，并继续为我们的客户发展奢华的体验。」

报告全文将在5月30日中国上海举行的2016年亚洲国际豪华旅游博览会（ILTM）期间发布。

希尔顿全球和希尔顿逸林酒店宣布苏州希尔顿逸林酒店正式开业，标志着希尔顿逸林品牌首次亮相中国苏州。

苏州希尔顿逸林由苏州市广播电视总台投资兴建并由希尔顿全球管理经营。

苏州希尔顿逸林酒店由设计过关西国际机场和北京电视中心的知名建筑师宫川浩（Hiroshi Miyakawa）担纲设计。

位于苏州工业园区商业中心地段，该酒店设有357间客房和181套一室、两室和三室套房，并提供各种用餐和娱乐选项。

希尔顿全球大中华及蒙古区营运高级副总裁麦金信（Bruce McKenzie）表示，苏州希尔顿逸林酒店将显著增强希尔顿全球在华东战略性经济枢纽的实力。

希尔顿全球高级副总裁兼希尔顿逸林和珂瑞希尔顿精选酒店全球总经理戴安娜•沃恩（Dianna Vaughan）表示：「希尔顿逸林品牌在全球旅客中倍受追捧。我们很高兴将中国业务扩展到苏州市。」

希尔顿全球目前在中国有71家酒店，并正筹建200多家新酒店。

Digital sports content and media group, Perform, has appointed Augustine Tan to the role of senior vice-president for Perform Content in Asia.

Tan joined Perform in 2015 where he was responsible for leading distribution of rights in Perform's joint ventures with the WTA and more recently FIBA, across Asia, roles he will continue in his new position.

With a line up of world-class sporting events in 2016, including the UEFA Euro 2016 and Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Tan will be charged with continuing to grow Perform’s business across Asia, with key regions including Japan, South Korea, the People’s Republic of China and India.

“We’re delighted to appoint Augustine in this important role,” Alex Peebles, Perform's APAC EVP of Content said. “We’ve seen accelerated growth in Asia over the last 12 months with our on-ground headcount increasing two-fold. With 2016 another big year for major global sports events, his appointment highlights our continued investment in delivering world class video, data and editorial packages.”

Tan has over 20 years’ experience operating at the forefront of the digital media industry. He has held senior roles at Viacom (MTV Asia), MediaCorp, Alliance Entertainment, World Sport Group (Lagardère Sports) and World Wrestling Entertainment. Augustine brings a strong knowledge of commercialising and distributing content.

“Perform has a strong reputation for delivering leading sports content and media platforms and I’m thrilled to be working with such a fantastic team,” said Tan.

“Asian sports fans are no longer passive consumers and are now demanding performance data about their favourite players and teams, as well as more digital video. Perform’s data brand, Opta and its short-form video news agency, Omnisport, cater for this demand perfectly.”

Travel activity booking platform Viator has appointed Anita Ngai to the newly created role of general manager for the Asia Pacific region.

Ngai, based in Viator’s San Francisco headquarters, will be responsible for widening the company's footprint across China, Japan, and Southeast Asia.

Working closely with global Viator and TripAdvisor teams, she will be focused on localising the customer experience and marketing approach, as well as improving the relevance of its product mix to an increasing number of sophisticated and independent outbound travelers.

“Taking the lead on Viator’s expansion into Asia allows me draw on many aspects of my background that I’m passionate about, from the region itself to the creation of bespoke strategies for effectively reaching the local traveller,” said Ngai.

“Recent studies point to a maturing Asian travel market, moving online and on mobile, with a growing inclination toward independent domestic and international travel. I’m excited to be working with Viator on this latest chapter of the growth story.”

Before joining Viator, Ngai was head of strategy and business development for The Link Asset Management Limited in Hong Kong where she led corporate strategy and digital business development for the largest retail REIT (real estate investment trust) in Asia.

She was previously with Expedia’s Hotels.com, first as director of strategy, APAC, then as head of marketing for the region, responsible for online and offline marketing and strategy development and execution.

Riding the emoji trend, global fashion retailer C&A has joined hands with SMILEY to launch C&A X Smiley limited collection in China.

To celebrate the World Smile Day, the brand leverages smiling face emojis to redefine the meaning of every smile.

Dubbed “Go Away, Bad Mood”, MRM//McCann has launched a customised digital campaign for the C&A Smile Week. WeChat users can upload their smiling photos via a H5 page to create personal emoji pack, inspiring and bringing joys to themselves and others as well as having a chance of winning SMILEY limited edition gifts and C&A vouchers.

Meanwhile, a giant “Smile Collection” installation was found outside C&A physical stores, using sensory camera to capture every smile which turns out to be the special smiling face emojis printed on SMILEY’s co-branded limited edition products.

Credits:
Client: C&A
Campaign: “Go Away, Bad Mood” 2016
Agency: MRM//McCANN Shanghai
Creative Team: Guo Jia, Zhou Yue, Hou Yiyi, Shen Wei
Account Service Team: Fiona Zang, Susie Song and Hill Zhao

顺应表情符号（emoji）潮流，全球时尚零售品牌C&A与Smiley合作的C&A X Smiley联名限量系列近期已在中国正式上市。

以世界微笑日为契机，C&A用充满趣味的笑脸元素重新诠释微笑背后的个性含义。

MRM//McCann为该系列新品特别打造的「C&A微笑周」数字营销活动「滚蛋吧坏心情」也正式拉开帷幕，微信用户可通过H5游戏上传自己的微笑照片定制个人专属表情包，为自己和他人带来新的灵感和乐趣，更有机会获得SMILEY系列限量奖品及C&A专属购物券。

同时，C&A线下门店外还架起了形似巨大笑脸的「微笑收集装置」，用自带体感摄像头来捕捉用户的微笑时间，并合成穿着Smiley联名限量系列的有趣卡通头像。

创作人员名单：
客户：C&A西雅衣家
项目： 2016滚蛋吧坏心情项目
创意代理公司：MRM//McCANN 上海
创意团队： 郭嘉、邹樾、侯旖旖、沈卫
客服团队：臧晶艳、宋昕然、赵岑

Premiumisation is the key to growing your brand in an increasingly customer-centric world, said Priyadarshini Sharma, group commercial brand director of Carlsberg Breweries.

Sharma was speaking at Marketing's two-day Customer Experience 2016 conference held at Suntec Convention centre. Sharma (pictured) explained premiumisation is the act of getting consumers to “pay for more familiar experiences”.

Customers today are looking to be delighted in their customer experience and as such “Customer satisfaction” is just the price of entry and not enough to win.

“Consumer don’t need to be dissatisfied – If someone else will “delight” them, they will spend their money there because the customer just wants better things,” Sharma said.

She added the rise in demand for premium goods & services is due to 2 things namely, (1) The significant rise in household per capita wealth due to changing lifestyles and (2) The increasing propensity to reflect status based on the brands and products chosen . Additionally, for companies it’s important to premiumize because eventually there will be no more markets left to emerge. In the past, business growth could be driven by footprint expansion. But in the future, with no more countries and new markets left to ‘emerge’, premiumisation will be the key way to drive growth.

Sharma also referred to the phenomenon Michael Silverstein has called, “Death in the Middle” whereby consumers are either trading down for the best deals possible for everyday products, or spending high to get the best experience or product that money can buy. As such staying in the middle ground will result in a brand losing relevance.

“Stop trying to play the middle ground – it is shifting to one end of the spectrum or the other”, Sharma said.

Sharma also outlined ways to navigate premiumisation and improve offerings to consumers.

Product Innovation

Product innovation is important in driving strong intrinsic differentiation when it comes to premiumizing your offering. Coupled with strong pricing to support the imagery, Sharma shared Somersby Rose’ cider as one of the case studies which took this approach, being marketed as the “champagne of ciders”. Colour and packaging changes can also make a brand look more luxurious compared to competitors.

Packaging can also help excite customers with a novelty. This was the case for one of its beers, Tuborg, which “upgraded” its iconic ring-pull bottle caps with coloured ones – driving new news and a more exciting consumer experience.

Check out the video here:

https://youtu.be/ATbXnYS-H6U

Rituals

Driving customer experience through new rituals can also be another way brands can put a new spin on how customers can experience a product.

Taking Somersby “Somerita” for example, the serving ritual of placing the drink in a glass in an innovative manner as opposed to simply serving it in its bottle enhances the perception of the drink.

“There are no changes in the intrinsic – but it allows the brand to be the hero,” Sharma said. This makes it unique within its product category and differentiates it from competition, setting apart the difference between premium priced versus ‘regular’ cider.

“Somersby Somerita is an example of taking a cider and putting a cocktail price on it,” Sharma added.

Have a multi-sensory experience

Investing well on channels which drive customer experience is also something which can pay off because it gives the brand the ability to control the type of experience you want customers to have.

Sharma drove home the importance of having a multi-sensory customer experience. She explained application of concept store principles to on or off trade environments can provide an intimate brand experience due to sensorial differentiation.

A Carlsberg campaign which took off in the United Kingdom was the draft beer billboard, which created a sensory and even social experience by giving users the power of control by allowing them to pour themselves a cup of draft Carlsberg beer.

Ultimately, this hands control over to the consumer and makes them feel part of the brand.

Watch the video here:

https://youtu.be/MfPbyG42iGE

Align all value chains

Sharma closed her speech with three key things she recommends to drive superior customer experiences and premiumisation.

First and foremost, ensure the whole organisation is aligned towards the vision of customer experiences to be delivered -  avoid silo thinking.

Secondly, focus on your key touch points where consumer experience really matters and will make a difference.

And last but not the least, Continue to attack the category like an “outsider” – it inculcates fresh thinking and innovative solutions. Start-ups, according to Sharma, do this particular well.

Read also: All about Customer Experience 2016 [GALLERY]

In recognition of the disconnect between academic qualifications and needs of the workforce, Malaysia Publicis One’s media agency brands organised an, "Awesome Media Camp” inspired by the reality talent game show, “The Apprentice” for university graduates.

The one-day Camp created a platform for potential employees to experience what working in media planning is like and created excitement about careers in this highly potent field.

“Youths today can be a driving force in many companies, but in order to achieve that, you need proper guidance and training,” Tan Kien Eng, CEO of Malaysia Publicis One said, during his opening session to the eager participants.

He added that the agencies within Publicis One act as an incubator for these young talents by harnessing their passion and creativity to help them flourish as professionals with long term career growth.

Ali Imran Memon, general manager of Optimedia Malaysia said, “Our biggest challenge as we undergo rapid growth has been to hire the right millennials with the right aptitude and analytical skills to work in, and excel at media planning. This camp allows these graduates to understand how to apply their knowledge and skills in work settings.”

Approximately 500 potential candidates submitted their resumes to join the Awesome Media Camp, and after one month’s review, only 22 candidates were shortlisted to join the Camp. Enthusiastic participants were thrilled to receive inspirational advice and unconventional training from top leaders of the Malaysian media and communications landscape including Aditya Aima (VP, Astro Awani), Andrew Gnanantham (CMO, Lazada), and Jenny Lim (Client Solutions, Google).

Lim Syau, a final year student at Tunku Abdul Rahman University College, was the shining star of the day by winning the competitive training program. According to Ali, the top candidates of the day may receive job offers soon from the participating companies subject to availability of vacancies. He added: "The success of this inaugural camp has inspired us to conduct similar camps in the future. It is necessary for us to continue these efforts to build the talent pipeline in the media industry.”

The Awesome Media Camp was organised by Malaysia Publicis One media brands: Starcom, MediaVest and Optimedia and Working on Bean Bags (WOBB) and hosted by Google at their Malaysian headquarters.

To further increase its social media presence, A.S Watson has teamed up with Tony Electronic (東尼電機), a popular Hong Kong artist who shares innovative yet wild ideas and inventions on his Facebook fans page.

For a 175 years old heritage brand, connecting to a local and funny creator reflects its aim of igniting the creativity of Hong Kong people.

In each illustration, Tony Electronic tries to consider the difficulties that customers encounter  from their point of view and then figure out a hilarious and innovative idea to improve the situation.

"We firmly believe that innovation is not something far away from our daily lives. We can certainly bring innovation into practice and improve our lives every single day," said Hanks Lee, senior corporate communications manager of A.S. Watson Group.

"Tony is a very relevant influencer to our campaign,"

On the creativity front, "Tony Electric's local style of interaction with audience in Chinglish – which has become a popular and fun social-language for local audience. We believe that it could further boost proximity and relevance especially to the younger fans," said Lee.

"You may see the illustrations as crazy ideas, but in fact we are trying to bring prototypes to live for some ideas to engage with customers – those prototypes not necessarily will become products to be sold on shelves, yet by letting the spirit of innovation glow, we enable our brands to become more responsive to customer needs."

While humour is an effective means to attract eyeballs, but Lee said it's not the one-size-fits-all solution.

"I won’t say humour is the Holy Grail, but it does help us to rejuvenate the branding to be more lively and in-sync with the digital-native audience."

To recruit and amass more creative ideas from companies, academic institutions or individuals, "we have launched an innovation website for those who have innovative products, packaging, services or ideas that bring more to lives of our customers to submit their ideas to us,"

"The website link is also mentioned at the end of each Facebook post alongside with the illustration. Leveraging our extensive distribution network through 12,400 physical stores. With the resources and scale across the globe, we can help transform these innovative ideas into meaningful business reality, and that’s another pull of innovative ideas."

The brand told Marketing that the primary objective of expanding its online presence is for brand-building, "we hope that the innovative ideas could enable customers to feel that our brands do care to enhance the shopping experience."

Malina Ngai, chief operating officer of A.S. Watson Group said, “We want to bring more to the lives of our customers via continuous innovation so that they can find it exciting and relevant to shop with us. Keeping abreast with the ever-changing customer needs, we continually improve and innovate our products and even the shopping environment”.

A partnership between non-governmental organisation Not For Sale, CNN Freedom Project and HISTORY Asia saw the launch of their new #BuyOutSlavery campaign. It will be promoted throughout Southeast Asia’s most popular e-commerce websites.

The campaign was created to raise awareness about modern slavery across Southeast Asia and was inspired by the upcoming HISTORY Asia premiere of programing event, “Roots”, which will hit the screen on 31 May.

While shopping on participating sites, consumers will be encouraged to contribute to liberating modern-day slaves by making a donation to Not For Sale and also by sharing their actions online. It will educate the audience about the products they are buying and what to look out for.

Brands and celebrities are lending their names, people and resources to the cause, namely brands such as Naiise, The Cathay and Westgate, and personalities such as Anita Kapoor, Irene Ang and Jamie Yeo to name a few.

All funds raised will support survivors of slavery and at-risk communities with shelter and stability, education, healthcare and legal services, and economic opportunities.

“We are pleased that through our groundbreaking series, "Roots", we have been able to help create and participate in a campaign that is focused on driving positive change. By reaching out to and enlisting the help of our industry partners and contacts, we are confident that we can assist Not For Sale in creating extensive awareness for this worthy cause,” Prem Kamath, deputy managing director, A+E Networks Asia, said.

“The aim of the CNN Freedom Project is to shine a spotlight on the horrors of modern-day slavery and champion those who have dedicated their lives to ending it. We are delighted to support this campaign to bring greater awareness of this critical issue to millions of people in Asia and around the world,” Tony Maddox, executive vice president and managing director, CNN International, added.